


Mixed up families are the best kinds

by TheSoggySchuyler4



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:01:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24126313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSoggySchuyler4/pseuds/TheSoggySchuyler4
Summary: A couple of clarifying points:1.	The beginning section is really just a brief explanation of why Daisy is living with Fitz and Jemma, so not exactly essential to the plot, but I included it anyway2.	I have never been to a therapist, and there’s only so much you can find online, so any interactions with ‘Kitty’ are what I imagine a therapist would be like and has no real basis on facts and experience. As such, I apologise for any glaring errors in her behaviour, and would appreciate any feedback on things I could improve.3.	Similarly, I have never experienced a pregnancy, so internet is my friend once again. Hopefully, I’m not too off base with facts and things?Let me know if there's anything i could do to improve this, or pregnancy things in this story that you'd love to see!
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Kudos: 33





	Mixed up families are the best kinds

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of clarifying points:  
> 1\. The beginning section is really just a brief explanation of why Daisy is living with Fitz and Jemma, so not exactly essential to the plot, but I included it anyway  
> 2\. I have never been to a therapist, and there’s only so much you can find online, so any interactions with ‘Kitty’ are what I imagine a therapist would be like and has no real basis on facts and experience. As such, I apologise for any glaring errors in her behaviour, and would appreciate any feedback on things I could improve.  
> 3\. Similarly, I have never experienced a pregnancy, so internet is my friend once again. Hopefully, I’m not too off base with facts and things?  
> Let me know if there's anything i could do to improve this, or pregnancy things in this story that you'd love to see!

Look, Jemma would be the first to admit that their living situation was a bit odd. When they’d returned from space with Fitz in tow, the only thing Jemma had wanted was a break. A proper one, with no evil LMDs, or space trips, or death. She’d found a beautiful cottage in Perthshire to rent and had fully intended on taking Fitz and staying away for as long as it took to feel somewhat normal again. But then Daisy had her breakdown.

They’d known it was coming. It had been long overdue – probably since as far back as Quinn shooting her- but the traumas had kept piling up and there was never time for Daisy, or anyone else, to actually deal with it. So inevitably, it had all come rushing up to greet her the minute they had a chance to breathe. Four days after their return, Jemma had knocked on Daisy’s door to summon her to tea and had found her friend having a panic attack on the floor, the room torn to pieces by some combination of her powers and pure distress.

Daisy had spent the next two days in a near catatonic state; she wouldn’t speak to anyone, and practically had to be force fed by Jemma. Finally, Jemma had tracked down a trusted therapist who was well trained in situations of serious trauma and had worked with army veterans and government agents before. Dr Hamilton had spent almost an entire day shut in a room with Daisy and when she finally emerged, she’d strongly advised that they remove Daisy far away from Shield, into a safe, calm environment and give her weekly, maybe even daily therapy sessions. Then she had broken down in tears.

It had taken fourteen further days for Jemma and Fitz to sort everything out, but then they took Daisy and left. Shield could survive without them for a while. Jemma wasn’t sure Daisy would survive much longer at Shield. They found a therapist in Perthshire, recommended by Dr Hamilton, for Daisy, but after only one session, Dr Katherine ‘Please call me Kitty’ Woodrow had insisted that all three of them had therapy. That had been months ago.

Daisy wasn’t exactly better- none of them were. Fitz and Daisy still couldn’t be in the same room with each other for more than a few minutes. Jemma still couldn’t climb into bed without obsessively locking every door and window in the house and checking each of them for LMDs. None of them could make it a full night without nightmares. But there were tiny improvements. Just yesterday, Daisy had woken up of her own accord and gone for a walk. Last week, Fitz had finally been persuaded to try a bath. It hadn’t worked, but he’d tried.

Yes, their little family was odd. They alternated between sleeping in three separate bedrooms because none of them trusted themselves with other people, to all of them falling asleep in the main bedroom, too exhausted from respective nightmares to care about how strange that might seem. But Daisy was their best friend. It didn’t matter to _them_ if she climbed into their beds after a nightmare, so it shouldn’t matter to anyone else. This was how they would cope. This was how they would survive.

* * *

3 years later

“Daisy’s acting weird.” Fitz moved around the kitchen counter and passed her a cup of tea. It was still early, which meant Daisy wouldn’t be up for a little while yet, and they could discuss anything they might not want her overhearing. This usually meant discussions about their… extra-curricular activities, but Fitz seemed determined to discuss Daisy instead. Jemma frowned.

“What makes you say that?” She asked, heaving a sigh and running a hand through her hair. Fitz leaned in conspiratorially, and Jemma wondered if she should remind him that Daisy was still sound asleep.

“I caught her reading the other day.” He declared, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis.

“Was she actually holding a book, or was she playing on her phone and told you she was reading? Because she’s told me that before, and I checked afterwards. The things she was doing could not, in any universe, constitute reading.”

“Real book.” Fitz bit back, “ _and_ it was at least 100 pages long. I couldn’t see what she was reading though.”

“Well good for her for actually reading something.” Jemma took a sip of her tea, “Is there anything else?”

Fitz wrinkled his nose.

“Well, she’s asked me several odd questions about my family history, and yours. Seemed really keen on knowing my ma’s name, for some reason.”

Jemma shifted and adjusted her top, since it was a little uncomfortable.

“I’ll admit that she did come up to me yesterday and ask about my parents, but it’s probably something Kitty’s got her doing. Same with the book, actually. I wouldn’t worry, Fitz. Daisy’s no weirder than usual.”

“Yes but-”

Jemma let out an irritated huff and put down her tea.

“Fitz. Leave her be, alright? If I honestly think there’s something going on, I’ll talk to her.” Fitz grimaced but nodded, “Now if there’s nothing else, you should head out to the shed. Weren’t you just saying yesterday that you’ve had a breakthrough with those new ICER designs?”

To her relief, Fitz brightened at the mention of his latest invention and he seemed to forget all about Daisy, pressing a kiss to her cheek and rushing outside. Jemma bit her lip and took another sip of tea.

Despite what she had said, even she could admit that Daisy had been a bit odd lately. She’d instigated a rather uncomfortable conversation about their chests and seemed strangely exuberant when Jemma had complained of aching in that particular area. More worryingly. Jemma had woken up yesterday to discover Daisy actually attempting to cook. Whatever disaster Daisy had been attempting to resurrect had smelled disgusting, and Jemma had very nearly thrown up. Still, it wasn’t her place to question her friend. Daisy would come to her if it were serious. Of that, Jemma was absolutely certain.

* * *

It took another for days for Jemma to finally give in and admit that something might actually be wrong with Daisy. She could pass off the odd questions and unexpected reading as something to with Kitty’s sessions, but when Daisy started sneaking away to take mysterious phone calls and returned looking both excited and devastated at the same time, Jemma grew worried. She took it up with Kitty in their next session.

“I’m worried about Daisy.” She burst out, barely taking a moment to greet her therapist. Kitty hardly blinked, merely gesturing for Jemma to take a seat.

“Could you elaborate on that for me, please? Is there any particular reason, or this a general worry?”

Jemma sank into the cushions and bit her lip.

“She keeps taking phone calls and coming back looking upset. And she’s been asking odd questions, but I thought that might be because of you, so I didn’t really consider that an issue. Oh! And she’s been reading, which shouldn’t really be that unusual, but it’s Daisy, you know? She won’t read unless it’s essential, and even then, she only reads on her phone and-”

She trailed off, realising she’d been rambling. Kitty watched her expectantly.

“It’s the phone calls in particular.” Jemma expressed reluctantly, “Because she looks really upset afterwards. I’m afraid that she’s speaking to someone who’s hurting her, or she’s going to get into trouble and I’m worried that I won’t be able to stop it.”

“Thank you for clarifying. Would you like some tea, Jemma?”

* * *

Sessions with Kitty usually lasted for just under an hour, but rarely less than 50 minutes, so Jemma was surprised when Kitty brought their discussion to an end at only 46 minutes. She gave Kitty a confused look.

“Jemma, we’ve discussed today about the healthy limits of worrying about your friends. We’ve also worked through some of the worries that you’ve been having lately. Now, typically I would ask you if there is anything else pressing that you would like to discuss with me before we end our session today, however, I’m also aware that it would be against my best interest to finish without discussing one final matter with you.” Jemma waited silently for Kitty to elaborate. “Jemma, you’ve told me about Daisy’s recent odd behaviour. I’d like you to explain to me why you think Daisy is acting that way.”

Jemma considered silently for a moment, knowing that Kitty would allow her the space to think.

“Well, the fact that you’re asking implies to me that she isn’t acting under your instruction,” She began tentatively. When Kitty said nothing, Jemma tried again. “From a scientific perspective, her behaviour reminds me of someone attempting to prepare for a-a drastic change in their life. Reading books to gain a better understanding of the topic, and possibly asking questions of those close to her to establish an idea of what that change might look like, such as- such as asking about our families to see what a family might- oh my God.” Jemma paled rapidly, “Kitty, is Daisy pregnant? Is that why she’s acting so strangely? What- I don’t know what to say- I have to, I have to talk to her!”

Kitty leaned back in her chair and placed her cup of tea back on its coaster.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Jemma. Perhaps you would like to revise your stabilising techniques before we end this session?”

“Yes,” Jemma blinked rapidly, “I think that would be a very good idea.”

* * *

Daisy was in the living room when Jemma returned home. She had forgone both of the large sofas and was instead curled up on the floor with her laptop, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and a mug of steaming coffee in one hand. Jemma yelped at the sight of it and darted forwards.

“You shouldn’t be drinking that!” She cried, attempting to grab it. Daisy jerked in surprise and sent the coffee flying across the floor. She cursed loudly, glancing around for something to clean the stain up.

“Jemma, you scared me! What the hell are you playing at, rushing at me like that?”

Jemma blinked and silently recalled Kitty’s breathing techniques. After a moment she felt calm enough to address the situation and hurried into the kitchen to grab some kitchen roll.

“Jem? What’s going on?”

Jemma glanced over at Fitz, who had clearly coming running in at the sound of the commotion. She winced slightly, knowing he wouldn’t be pleased to have disrupted his workflow.

“Uh, Daisy spilt her coffee. Sorry?”

Daisy appeared in the doorway and glared at her.

“I wouldn’t have spilt anything if you hadn’t come in yelling at me and trying to grab me. You know I have a thing about being grabbed, Jem.” She snapped bitterly. Fitz looked confused.

“Why were you trying to grab Daisy, Jemma? Is everything alright?”

Jemma groaned and marched back into the living room to begin cleaning up the mess. She was relieved to see that Daisy’s laptop, and her beloved extra-heavy blanket were unharmed.

“I wasn’t trying to grab Daisy,” She began to explain, not bothering to look and see whether they had followed her, “I was reaching for her coffee. She shouldn’t be drinking that when she’s pregnant.”

Jemma heard a gasp and a choking noise from behind and she finally looked around. Fitz had gone extremely pale, and Daisy was bright red, whilst also looking completely confused.

“I-I’m not- who the hell do you think I’d have slept with to even _be_ pregnant Jemma? What the hell?”

Jemma flushed slightly.

“I don’t know… Deke?”

At this, Daisy looked as if she might throw up.

“We’ve _talked_ about this, Jem. For the last time, I am not going to date your grandson just so you can say that I’m officially part of the ‘family’. Besides, he hasn’t been here in almost a year. In case you didn’t know, pregnancies do not last that long.”

Daisy’s voice had taken on a rather unusually high-pitched quality, and Jemma was a little worried that her friend might explode if someone didn’t calm her down soon.

“Um, but you were asking all of those odd questions about our families, so I thought maybe you were trying to find out what a normal family situation might…look like.”

This, evidently, did not help Daisy calm down.

“What the fu- Jemma! I was asking those questions because I think _you’re_ pregnant. Because I thought that hey, we’ve lived in Scotland for three whole years, and in case you hadn’t noticed, _Jemma_ , your family hasn’t visited once. I thought…” Daisy’s voice grew quieter and more insecure, “I thought that maybe you liked your family, and you’d want to actually see them, especially if you’re having a-a baby.”

Jemma’s brain focused on only one part of what Daisy was saying.

“You think I’m pregnant?” She asked timidly, sinking down onto one of the sofas. Daisy shifted uncomfortably, and shot an apologetic look towards Fitz, who seemed to have been stunned into silence.

“It’s- you’re going to think I’m a horrible person for even noticing, but your…chest area is uh, it’s- _Fitz_ ”

Fitz went bright red and began stammering something about how maybe, _possibly_ , Jemma’s breasts might appear a bit larger than before. Jemma’s mouth fell open and she stared at both of them with a mixture of disgust and confusion.

“Daisy, _Why_ have you even… you know what? No, I don’t want to know. You can’t _possibly_ think that I’m pregnant just because my breasts are a bit bigger.”

Daisy’s expression softened slightly, though she still looked extremely embarrassed.

“Um, you-you said yourself that your breasts have been a bit…sensitive lately. And um, you’ve had a bit of an aversion to smells.”

“No, I haven’t.” Jemma immediately started, before remembering Daisy’s cooking incident, “You can’t possibly mean that _one_ time you cooked, Daisy? That smelled disgusting because you _can’t cook_. I’m sorry but it’s true!”

Daisy shook her head.

“I didn’t mess up the food, Jem. I was cooking bacon for breakfast, and you _know_ that’s one of the things I can actually cook. Fitz even ate it, and he said it tasted like normal. You just couldn’t stand the smell because you’re pregnant. You _are._ ”

Jemma prepared herself to adamantly deny Daisy’s preposterous claims.

“Of _course_ I’m not pregnant, Daisy. Don’t you think I would _know_? Obviously I’ve just developed a distaste for bacon. It _happens_. It doesn’t mean I’m pregnant. I mean, for goodness sake! I had my last period only-”

Jemma stopped. Mentally she recounted the days. No, wait. That wasn’t right. That would suggest that she was over a week late. She peered up at Daisy, who was wearing a frustratingly smug expression.

“Our periods are synced up, Jem. Don’t you think I noticed when you didn’t start using our _shared_ supplies? I mean, I already suspected, but that just settled things. You _are_ pregnant Jemma. Congratulations. I’m-I’m really happy for you guys.”

She didn’t look particularly sincere, but Jemma was too busy rushing into Fitz’s arms as they began to cry tears of joy. They were having a baby! Oh, Deke would be thrilled! And Daisy was right- she _did_ want to visit her parents now. Jemma glanced up to look for their friend, but Daisy had vanished. Sighing, Jemma turned her attention back to celebrating with Fitz. She could talk to Daisy later. This was so much more important.

* * *

They were finishing tea when Daisy’s phone rang. The whole afternoon had been spent in an odd kind of happy buzz. Jemma had dragged Fitz out to the local Boots to buy some pregnancy tests as conformation, and when Fitz had quietly pointed out that they had the equipment to run a blood test, she had done that too. Everything had come back positive.

The loud ringing violently dragged Jemma out of her elation, especially when Daisy’s face dropped, and she rushed outside to take it. Jemma chewed her lip and shared a look with Fitz. Neither of them had actually seen Daisy since the revelation, but Jemma had rather assumed that the odd questions and strange behaviour would stop now that they knew, or at least that the questions would make more sense. The phone calls still just didn’t fit.

When Daisy returned, she looked on the verge of tears, but was very clearly attempting to hide it behind a huge fake smile.

“Hey, what are we doing this evening? I-I can leave you two to have a nice quiet evening together, if you like?” She chattered nervously. Jemma fixed her with a pointed look.

“Talk to us, Daisy. Who keeps calling you?”

Daisy hesitated, losing the fake smile, and allowing her shoulders to droop.

“Yo-yo,” She mumbled eventually, “Mack wants me to come back to Shield.”

Everything dropped away, and Jemma struggled to catch her breath. _Shield_.

It was a difficult topic of conversation for all of them because their opinions on the organisation varied drastically. Fitz still worked for them to some degree, in that he was a self-employed engineer and inventor, but any products that might benefit Shield were sent there first. He chatted to Mack regularly, and often offered advise on how to improve something, or Mack would request a particular tweak to a design. Jemma was fine with that. She was. Fitz wasn’t in danger, and he wasn’t even really in Shield. She was content in the knowledge that Fitz was tinkering away in their ‘Shed’ turned lab, far away from the fight.

Jemma had stepped away from Shield entirely. It hadn’t been a conscious decision at first. Once their ‘vacation time’ was over, and Mack had asked what they wanted to do, she had allowed herself the role of last resort counsellor. Those cases where nobody else could figure out what to do, and Jemma was needed to fit in the last couple of pieces. She’d been okay with that at first, but gradually even those rare cases were too much. After a year and a half, and several long discussions with Daisy and Fitz, she had handed in her official resignation. Now she worked part time in the lab at their local hospital. It was small, and there was nothing major, or dangerous that could ever happen there. She felt safe.

Daisy’s journey had been a struggle. At first, Daisy had been keen to continue fighting, against the advice of everyone she spoke to. When Mack had point blank refused to put her back in the field, Daisy had been lost. Though Jemma didn’t know everything that went on in Daisy’s sessions with Kitty, she knew that Mack’s refusal had come up a lot. From what Daisy had said, the field made her feel like she was connected to people. Like she could help. Shield was her family, and despite everything that had happened, Daisy was reluctant to give that up. There had finally been a turning point last year, when Daisy had returned from therapy, called Mack, and announced that she was leaving. She hadn’t mentioned Shield since, and Jemma had been glad to allow her that security.

“…Why?” The question was out before she could stop herself, and she saw the brief flicker of pain in Daisy’s eyes.

“Because I asked him to?”

If the kitchen had not been frozen in a deathly silence before, it certainly was now. Jemma struggled to remind herself to breathe. Fitz leaned forwards, looking suddenly furious in a way that Jemma hadn’t seen in years.

“Why the hell would you do that, Daisy? You know it’s bad for you. What do you think this might achieve, huh?”

Daisy wiped at a stray tear and shrank away from them.

“You-you’re having a baby and I-so, um…I thought it would be easier to just-”

Jemma quickly read between the lines and she leapt up from the table, ignoring her chair as it toppled to the floor. She moved quickly around to where Daisy stood meekly.

“I’m going to hug you now, Daisy.” She announced and threw her arms around her best friend. Daisy let out a little sob.

“ _Jemma_ ” She cried out painfully. Jemma hugged her tighter.

“I am so sorry that we’ve made you feel like this, Daisy. So so sorry. Listen to me, you are _not_ allowed to just leave. You are family, whether you date our grandson or not.” Daisy let out a watery chuckle. “If you think for one second that we’re just going to let you go back to Shield when it would be so clearly detrimental to your health, just because Fitz and I happen to be having a baby, then you are unbelievably stupid.”

Fitz approached from Daisy’s other side, obviously having realised what was going on.

“We don’t want you to go anywhere, Daisy. You belong here with us and this baby. We love you, and this baby is going to love you, so you’re staying right here with us. In fact, we should call Mack and Yo-yo right now and let them know that you’re staying after all.”

Daisy blinked tearfully and nodded, reaching for her phone.

“I’ll put it on speaker.” She told them wetly, listening to the ringing noise fill the kitchen.

_“Daisy? Is everything okay?”_

It was Yo-Yo speaking, but they could make out Mack’s voice in the background, asking what was going on. Daisy sniffled.

“Um, I don’t want to come back to Shield.”

There was a long pause, and Jemma and Fitz glanced nervously at each other. They didn’t really think Mack would force Daisy to return if she didn’t want to, but the silence was still disconcerting.

 _“I’m putting you on speaker. Just a minute.”_ Yo-Yo finally spoke up. She sounded confused, but a little relieved. Daisy let out another hiccoughing sob and Jemma tightened her grip on her friend.

 _“Daisy? Talk to us. What’s going on? What happened?”_ Mack asked. He sounded far more worried than angry, and Jemma couldn’t help but feel relieved. Fitz leant forwards.

“Mack, it’s Fitz here. We’ve only just found out about Daisy thinking she had to leave and go back to Shield because of the baby. She’s understandably quite upset. We’ve explained to her that there’s no need for her to actually go anywhere, and I’m not sure she wants to.” He explained quickly. Jemma paled, realising he had mentioned the baby.

The silence dragged on painfully.

_“Did he just say what I- Did you just say you’re having a baby? You and Jemma? Turbo?”_

“I didn’t tell them _why_ I wanted to go back.” Daisy moaned softly. Jemma rubbed her back sympathetically and sent Fitz an irritated look. She leaned forwards and grabbed the phone.

“So, I’m going to be annoyed at Fitz later for blurting that out when we’ve barely even processed it ourselves yet, but yes. Fitz and I are having a baby.” There was a sound that was probably laughter and quiet whooping, and then Mack spoke up again, sounding far more cheerful than before.

_“That’s wonderful news! Elena and I were so worried when Daisy called and asked to come back, but this makes far more sense.”_

_“Daisy,”_ Yo-Yo added firmly, _“You shouldn’t feel the need to come back if you don’t want to. We’re happy either way.”_

Daisy was full-out sobbing by that point, and both Fitz and Jemma rushed to pull her into a tight hug, hurriedly apologising for upsetting her or speaking on her behalf.

“No, ‘m happy. I’m really happy. I want to stay; I love you guys so much.” She choked out, beaming through her tears.

 _“We’ll chat to you guys later.”_ Jemma vaguely heard a click from the phone and realised Mack and Yo-Yo had hung up, but she no longer cared. She was having a baby with the love of her life, and her best friend was staying. Why would anything else matter now?


End file.
